Her Trustful Heart
by marehami
Summary: When Mabel starts living in Gravity Falls full-time Candy and Grenda struggle to adjust to the changes. They become envious of the attention Mabel never asked for, and that envy leads our favorite gal pals down a dark path that will leave them all deeply scarred...will their friendship survive? A collaborative effort with That GF Fan and part of the Adoption AU.
1. Chapter 1

At first, Candy and Grenda had to contain their joy and excitement at the news that Mabel would be living in Gravity Falls full-time. They were thrilled to know that their trio would not be broken up, but their unity had come at a terrible price. For Mabel, staying in her beloved Gravity Falls had cost her every last bit of innocence and certainty. It had all started with one life changing phone call at her and Dipper's Thirteenth Birthday party. Just like that, she and Dipper were suddenly orphans. They were fortunate to have two Great-Uncles who, without hesitation, had taken them in and raised them as their own children. That phone call carried enough suffering for a lifetime, but alas, poor Mabel had more torture waiting for her just around the corner.

The last bit of innocence and security was robbed by a monster known as Brad Edwards. In a series of selfish, malicious, and earth-shattering actions he had robbed Mabel of her precious innocence. In many ways, the Mabel Pines they once knew was no more.

But if there was one thing that neither of those horrible events hadn't robbed Mabel of, it was her caring heart. Nothing it seems could take that away from her. She had beaten Brad, and her family never missed an opportunity to let her know what a hero they all viewed her as. They weren't the only ones who took notice of her courage either. Seemingly overnight, Mabel had risen through the ranks to become one of the most popular students at Gravity Falls Middle School. She couldn't walk down the halls without someone throwing her a friendly word, a compliment, offering to carry her books, help with homework, even Pacifica offered her some fashion tips (tips she promptly ignored…Mabel was nothing if not confident in her own sense of style).

At first, Candy and Grenda didn't mind. Mabel had been through a lot, and they figured their gal pal deserved all the attention and support as needed. Besides, one of the things Brad _had_ taken away from her had been her "boy crazy flirtatious" phase. When she would get attention from the boys in school, she would just give them a friendly smile and just carry on with her day. After a while, Candy and especially Grenda started feeling lost in the shuffle of Mabel's popularity. She never stopped being Candy and Grenda's best friend and never let the popularity go to her head, but it was still a big adjustment to the two young girls to get used to having Mabel around all the time. She had gone through so many constant traumas, that Candy and Grenda felt more like on-call therapists than friends. They of course would be there for Mabel at any point, but they still missed the days when they could just have slumber parties and have fun instead of having to constantly be the shoulders to cry on. They were all still children after all, who wanted to make the most of whatever fun could be found each day.

Grenda especially had started feeling the green-eyes of envy beating down on her. Mabel wasn't the only person who had problems after all. Grenda herself had dealt with ample amounts of cruelty since hitting her unfortunate growth spurts, and there was only so much of that pain that could be punched out. The reality was, sometimes she wished she could ask Candy and Mabel for the support that Mabel had received, but the way she saw it…what grounds did she have to beg for attention? Her parents were still alive…she had never been assaulted…her home had never been set ablaze…it seemed as though nobody's suffering could ever match that, and if her suffering couldn't match Mabel's suffering, what right did she have to ask for support?

So, the days went on and she continued suffering in silence. Neither Candy or Mabel were any wiser to the silent suffering that she was facing. It was a storm whose clouds grew darker day by day.

But the dark clouds that were forming would soon bring about a storm. A storm so ferocious, and so devastating, that it could very well wipe away their friendship forever.


	2. Chapter 2

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Grenda bellowed into her cell phone.

"It's not my decision my sweet…my parents have demanded that I fulfill a marriage arrangement that was set up before I was born…it's the price of being a prince," Marius said, clearly deeply disheartened.

"YOU'VE BEEN IN AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE ALL YOUR LIFE AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO TELL ME!?"

"I thought that once my parents met you and saw how happy you made me they would change their minds…but it's not that simple, the fate of my entire nation depends on this marriage alliance, just know that you will always be in my hear-"

He wasn't able to finish before Grenda hung up.

She began doing rounds on her punching bag when she heard a knock on the door, "Oh, Grenda…it's your friend, Candy…I was just dropping by to do homework with you, but if you are in the middle of a rage induced episode I can come back lat-"

"I'VE BEEN DUMPED!" Grenda cried as she fell to her knees, too put out to even punch anymore.

"By Marius? But…but you were both so happy?"

"HE'S GOTTA MARRY THIS STUPID PRINCESS TO KEEP A STUPID ALLIANCE WITH HIS STUPID KINGDOM!"

"Oh…you know, Mabel went through something similar to this with a merman a while back, so maybe she-"

"CAN THINGS NOT BE ABOUT MABEL JUST ONCE!?" yelled Grenda as she punched her pillow.

"I was just saying that, Mabel is your friend, and that I'm sure she would be happy to support you. M…maybe we can have a bonfire and burn all the photos of him over marshmallows?"

"Yeah…yeah, watching him burn might be fun," Grenda said, actually managing a small smile.

Candy returned the smile as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Mabel.

The phone rang three times before an unexpected voice answered.

"Hey Candy, it's Dipper. Sorry Mabel can't come to the phone right now. She…she's having a…well you know…." Dipper's voice trailed, not wanting to vocalize the term panic attack and freak out his sister even more.

"Oh…well we were going to invite her over for a bonfire because Grenda's…"

Candy couldn't even finish without hearing Mabel give a terrified scream.

"CANDY, YOU KNOW NOT TO MENTION STUFF LIKE THAT WHEN SHE'S IN THE MIDDLE OF…!" shouted Dipper before hanging up.

"UGH, WHY IS ALL THE BAD STUFF ALL ABOUT MABEL?" yelled Grenda.

"Grenda…remember, Mabel survived a fire. Your dad is a firefighter, so you of all people should-"

"I DO UNDERSTAND! I JUST DON'T LIKE IT! YOU AND I HAVE PROBLEMS TOO YOU KNOW?!"

Candy just nodded before whispering, "I know,"

The two sat in silence for a moment before Grenda quietly said, "I just wish things were back to how they were. I just wish it was us three having fun again. I just…I…I just wish our problems could be acknowledged too. But it's impossible with Mabel and her issues. Sometimes I wish she could just take her issues, and go back to California."

Candy looked shocked before going over and putting her hand on Grenda's back, "But who would she go back to?"

"I don't know…send Stan and Ford on a boat with them…"

"You know you would miss her eventually,"

Grenda sighed, she knew that was true.

"I would miss her…but not her drama,"

Candy gave a small smile, "you know, I'm pretty sure Mabel is tired of her own drama at this point too. I'm certain she wants to move on from it all too."

"I guess…"

"And you know, she's tired of the attention she's getting from boys…heck, today she practically begged you to punch out that weird kid who tried showing her his bug collection,"

Grenda chuckled imagining actually getting to do that, but then she frowned again, "Do you think she sees me as more than my muscles?"

Candy looked shocked at the question, "Of course she does! We both know you are so much more!"

"No one else does…"

"Grenda, that's not true-"

Candy was about to continue, but then she saw the sadness in Grenda's eyes. She knew that right now, her friend deserved to throw a pity party, and that the best way for her to be a friend right now would be to sit by her side and support her, even if one of their friends was missing.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at school, the three girls were walking down the hallway together. But there was a definite awkwardness in it. A silence that felt too unlike them. Even though Mabel didn't fully understand why, she knew there was tension in gal-pal land, and she had a feeling it had something to do with her.

"So…umm, I'm sorry about last night. My family and I were watching a movie, and…there was this big explosion, and it just kind of…freaked me out."

"Don't you know it's just a movie? Movies can't hurt you!" Grenda snapped harshly.

Mabel winced, shocked at the coldness in her friend's voice. Granted Grenda's voice was never the softest thing on earth, but she was still taken aback at her tone. They had been friends long enough that she knew when her voice expressed a certain kind of emotion. She didn't want to cry and show it, but those words might as well have been ice daggers to the heart.

Candy noticed this and shot Grenda a look, but she didn't speak…what could she say?

At that moment they overheard a group of boys talking. They were known troublemakers and always made for good gossip. Candy figured listening in would give her friends just the push they needed to break the awkward moment.

"I'm telling you dude, the thing is haunted!" one of them said.

"No way man, Old man Pines destroyed it, remember. it's just a bunch of stone!" the other rebuked, "Might as well hit it with a sledgehammer if you don't believe me."

"What are you guys talking about?" Candy inquired while Mabel and Grenda kept their eyes off each other.

"The Bill statue at the edge of the woods. This guy says it's still haunted, but I say there's no way!"

Hearing the name Bill sent Mabel's heart racing, but she didn't feel safe to panic in front of her friends. She didn't totally understand why, but she knew that Grenda was quite put out with her. After all the things she had lost, she didn't want to lose her best friend too.

"Hey, if anyone would know if the Bill statue was haunted, it would be you!" the boy said, pointing at Mabel. She stared at him quietly for a moment, not trusting herself enough to speak without hyperventilating.

To her shock, she wasn't going to have to speak.

"I'LL GO TO THE STATUE TO FIND OUT IF IT'S HAUNTED!"

Candy and Mabel looked over at Grenda as if she had just grown a snake out of her stomach.

The boys looked at each other and smirked, "okay…_sir (_they said mocking her brutish voice), meet us at the field at midnight, and shake the hand of the statue. If you survive, you'll officially be a Gravity Falls legend."

That was all Grenda needed to hear to seal her mind that this was something that she _had _to do.

"Fine! See you tonight. Be there or miss it!" she said as she reached out her hand for the guys to shake, they did, and then they were gone.

"Grenda are you cray-cray!?" Mabel asked after they were gone.

"No I'm not, I'm doing this with or without you girls," Grenda declared.

Candy could see in her eyes that even though this had the potential to be dangerous, that it was important to her friend, "I am in too,"

Mabel looked at her friends stunned. Did they not remember the horrors that Bill had brought upon them all, let alone her? How much he had tormented her and her family? How he tried to kill her brother, and imprison her a bubble for eternity? Had they forgotten the chaos that he had caused so willingly?

At the same time, she also saw how important this was to Grenda, and she didn't know why, but she _did not_ want to make her angrier.

"I…I can't go back there again. I'm sorry, I just can't. But I want you to know I'll be mentally supporting you. No one deserves to be a Gravity Falls legend more than you, and for the record, you'll always be a legend to me."

Grenda smiled at her friend; at least she was finally giving her the option to find her own destiny.

But at what cost would that destiny come?

Not just to her, but all of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Mabel was up in her attic bedroom pacing back and forth. She felt so lost. On one hand, she was terrified for the safety of her dear friends. But at the same time, she didn't feel right telling her family about their dangerous plan. Bill had caused all of them to suffer enough, plus if Stan or Ford showed up to try to stop it, she would be labeled a tattle-tale, and then Grenda would never want to be friends with her again. Mabel could tell that her friendship with her was on the line, and any mistake she made could be the final straw. Mabel racked her brain to try to think of what exactly had happened to make Grenda so hostile towards her? What had she done? Had she said something? Done something? Maybe it wasn't something she had done, but something she _hadn't _done. Did she forget an important anniversary? A Birthday? A holiday? Things had been so chaotic in her life lately, that it had been hard to keep up with her own life, let alone anyone else's. Grenda and Candy were her best friends in the world. They had been by her side through all the ups and downs (and lately there had been so many downs). They supported her so much. So much so, that sometimes Mabel could get so caught up in her own chaos, she would forget that other people had their own chaos. Maybe Candy and Grenda felt like she didn't care about them? That couldn't be farther from the truth, and she made a vow to show her friends how grateful she was to have them in her life…as soon as this whole Bill thing was behind them all.

"It's so dark and spooky out here…maybe we should turn- "

"NO! WE'RE DOING THIS! IT'S TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW!" bellowed Grenda.

"Grenda…you don't have to do this," begged Candy, "Mabel and I both think you are wonderful just the way you are. You do not need to prove it to anyone."

"I need to prove it to me," Grenda said in a quiet tone, "you can turn around if you want, but I'm doing this."

Candy sighed. As much as she wanted to turn around right now and go home, she couldn't leave her friend now.

"Bout time you two showed up," one of the boys from earlier said as he greeted them at the edge of the woods.

"We thought, you'd chicken out," the other boy said, laughing softly.

"Never! Let's see that triangle!" Grenda said, more determined than ever.

Sure enough, at the very edge of the woods covered with moss, and looking worse for wear, the Bill Cipher statue lay, its hand outreached, as if waiting to be shaken.

Without hesitation, Grenda went up and aggressively patted the triangle's tip.

Nothing happened.

"THERE! I PROVED IT! IT'S JUST A STUPID OLD STATUE! I'LL ACCEPT MY LEGEND STATUS NOW!"

"Not so fast! We agreed that you had to shake the hand!" said the first boy.

"Yeah," said the other one, "Shake his hand, or kiss your legend status goodbye!"

Grenda gulped. She would never admit it, not even to her friends, but she was nervous. She didn't know why, but something about the outstretched hand made her feel…unsettled. It was like something unnerving would surely happen.

Still, she was too close to greatness to turn back now. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes tight and swiftly shook the hand.

At that moment the sky suddenly filled with clouds with a bright yellow tint, and a voice bellowed from within them.

"Well, well, well, it's about time one of you Gravity Falls morons shook my hand! Y'all left me hanging for so long, I was afraid you had forgotten about me!"

The boys turned and looked at each other, their faces pale white as they ran for their lives as far away as possible.

Candy and Grenda stood frozen in fear in each other's arms, Grenda nearly squeezing the life out of poor Candy.

"So, which one of you do I have to thank for freeing me?" the triangle asked as he finally materialized right before their eyes.

Neither girl spoke, but they didn't need to.

"The hand that shook me was gigantic and stronger than either of those Stan's, so it must have been you, pink shirt!" he said pointing at Grenda.

Grenda was still terrified, but also slightly miffed that even Bill made fun of her masculine features.

"I remember you two, you're shooting star's friends! Where is that little bubble buster? She and I have unfinished business to attend to."

Candy finally found her voice enough to shout, "We will not let you hurt Mabel or her family or anyone else ever again!"

Bill laughed, "Oh, don't worry glasses," he said as he turned his attention back towards Grenda, "I'm not gonna hurt shooting star…_you are!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Grenda made a valiant attempt to stop the triangle. She punched herself as hard as she could over and over again, in a feeble attempt to get him out, before he could completely take over her.

"Hey, stop hitting yourself, Hercules!" Grenda's eyes blinked a few times…then they went yellow.

"Ah, now this is what I call a host body! Nice and sturdy! Unlike, that pathetic ole Pine Tree! I mean, boy, did that kid lack muscle!"

"GET OUT OF MY FRIEND!" cried Candy.

"Not now, glasses. I wanna see all the fancy features of my new ride!" said Bill as he began examining every inch of the teenage girl (he even enjoyed messing with the two developing breasts…he never felt those before).

Candy wanted to vomit seeing her friend have no control over her own body…it was a violation of every one of her rights as a human being.

Finally, Bill found something useful towards his cause, a pocket knife that Grenda had stuck in her back pocket as a form of protect should things go wrong tonight…the knife was going to do the opposite of protect her now.

He manipulated her body to hold the knife at Candy in an intimidating fashion.

"Alright ladies, here's the deal…you do exactly as I say and no harm will come to you. Don't, and I'll slice both of you to ribbons."

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THE PINES FAMILY!" Candy cried.

Bill contorted Grenda's face into a smirk as he gave a quick slash to Candy's hand…drawing blood.

The girl gripped her hand and cried in pain. The dreaded sight of blood pouring out made her want to faint.

"Candy- "Grenda tried to call out before Bill took over again.

"Now, as I said, do exactly as I say so I don't have to do that again. Next time I won't be so gentle."

The walk towards the shack felt like a death march to Candy. She was completely at the mercy of a Satanist in the body of her best friend…and she was about to do something unthinkable to her other best friend. She wanted to make a run for it. She wanted to spare Mabel of any more pain that Bill wished to bring down. But he was in Grenda's body. Doing that would be suicide for both of them.

"Keep it moving, glasses! I ain't got all night!"

When they got to the backside of the shack, Bill pulled Candy aside, using Grenda's strong hands to keep her from running away.

"Here's the deal. Go in there and tell shooting star that pink shirt here needs her help…only thing that brat loves more than her family is you two losers."

"W-why do you even want to hurt Mabel? She's just a kid!"

"It's not her I want to hurt. I mean, her chaotic qualities are fairly valuable, and would have been useful if I could've had her last time. No…it's those backstabbing Pines men…when I in my infinite wisdom learned they adopted those kids as heir own, I figured that the best way to get my sweet revenge wouldn't be by hurting them, but hurting their precious little kids!"

"What do you have to gain?"

"The misery of the Pines men! Especially that no good Stanley! Who knows? Poindexter may be so desperate to help her that he'll let me inside that mind of his and then the fun can really begin!"

"I-I can't betray my friend like this…" Candy said as tears began to build up.

At that moment Bill used Grenda's knife wielding hand to dangle the knife right above Grenda's heart.

"Look if you don't I'll kill Pink Shirt and take care of Shooting Star as you! Point is, you can lose one friend tonight…or you can lose two, and die with them!"

Tears spilled over Candy's eyes…she was in a lose-lose situation. She knew that if Mabel were here she would want Grenda spared…it was her nature. It hurt more than anything, but Candy nodded in submission.

"That's a good girl!"

Candy slowly made her way up the porch of the shack. Her shaking hand was just about to knock on the door when it swung open.

"Candy! I'm so happy to see you! I was looking out and saw you walk up! Where's Grenda? Is she alright?"

Candy's mouth was dry as a desert, but she somehow managed to whisper, "no…no she needs our help…she needs _your _help!"

Without hesitation Mabel answered, "WHAT ARE WE DOING STANDING AROUND!? LET'S MOVE!"

Mabel was holding Candy's hand as she rushed towards the woods…completely unaware she was running right towards her doom.

When they reached the center of the woods, Grenda immerged.

"OH, GRENDA! I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!" she yelled, "IS EVERYTHING OKAY?!"

Grenda managed to look at her friend through her own eyes for a moment, and whispered a truth from the depths of her soul.

"I'm sorry Mabel."


	6. Chapter 6

Mabel saw the yellow in Grenda's eyes, and right then, she knew. It was a miracle that she could get that quick glance because Bill's actions were swift and painful. The knife jabbed into her multiple times as she released blood-curdling screams. Candy had tears streaming down her face as she tried in vein to stop Grenda's strong arms from being manipulated by Bill. The demon triangle responded to this by using the other arm to fling Candy off her. She fell to the ground with a thud. It was no use. There was nothing she could do not matter how hard she tried.

Finally, Mabel's cries quieted.

"There, job well done! All right, let's move, glasses! We gotta get outta here before anyone finds the body!"

Hearing Bill refer to her best friend as just a body absolutely crushed Candy, but she felt like she had already failed Mabel. Now, she had to focus on finding a way to free Grenda from the triangle's possession. She couldn't do that if Bill killed her, so she submitted. She felt sick to her stomach. She was no more of a puppet to Bill than Grenda was.

Mabel continued playing dead and kept her eyes closed, tears still slipping down her bloodied face, she laid there completely still until she could no longer hear footsteps.

She tried to stand up, but her feet couldn't support her, so she physically started dragging her body across the floor of he woods. She was too far to make it back to the shack. She knew that she needed to get out of the woods and to a highway where she could get help, and as quickly as possible too. She didn't know yet the extent of what had happened to her.

She pulled her body along the bumpy and uneven ground, at one point a stick got stuck in a wound and she cried out in agonizing pain, but she kept her hand over her mouth. Bill could be anywhere.

She knew that she needed to get help not only for herself, but also for Grenda. Bill was inside her and if someone didn't do something soon, she knew that he would destroy her friend.

When she finally made it to the highway she had to wait for cars to come by. The smallness of the town of Gravity Falls allowed for everyone to know everyone, but it made it difficult to get help when you need it. Cars rarely drove down there.

About fifteen minutes passed, Mabel was fighting consciousness the whole time. She knew that if she passed out now, she wouldn't be found until morning, and she was losing blood rapidly. She knew that if she surrendered to sleep, she would never wake up, and she couldn't do that to Dipper or her adoptive dads. She couldn't do that to Candy or Grenda. Throughout all of her many trials, her family and friends were constantly telling her how strong she was. Now was the time to prove it. She was not going to let this one win any more than the others.

Finally, like a gift from heaven, a car came down the highway. Mabel tried raising her arms and moving around as much as she could to let them know she was alive and needed help.

"Ummm…are you a zombie?" a timid voice spoke as he rolled down the window, but still cautiously locked the doors of his car.

"T-Thompson?" Mabel's shaky voice managed

Recognizing the slight lisps Thompson unlocked the doors and rushed over, "Mabel? OH MY GOD!" Thompson said as he tried to touch her and noticed that her blood was getting all over his hands.

"Hhhh…help…Me," she pleaded.

Thompson, his hand shaking in disbelief at the sight of his badly wounded friend, struggled to grab his phone and dial 911.

"Mabel, what happened to you!?"

"Stab…knife…Grenda," Mabel wanted to explain more, but she was so very tired and weak.

"GRENDA!? LIKE YOUR BEST FRIEND GRENDA!? WHAT THE HELL!?"

When Thompson noticed Mabel's eyes starting to roll back he forced himself to calm down and focus on helping her.

"Mabel, c'mon champ…stay awake okay? Help's gonna be here soon pal," he said as he told the dispatcher where they were, and explained that Mabel had stab wounds, needed an ambulance, and let police know to look out for the two missing girls in the woods.

"Gr…Grenda-"-Mabel whimpered again.

"Shh…Mabel you gotta rest your energy buddy, I promise we're gonna get you help…all of you," Thompson didn't know the full story, but he knew Mabel's friends would never hurt her so badly. He was not an expert on everything that had gone down with the Pines family, or to any extent about Bill, but he knew that there was more to the story than Grenda being responsible.

When the ambulance came, Thompson offered to ride to the hospital with her. He knew that he had to call Stan and Ford, and he knew they wouldn't want Mabel alone while they weren't there, and as a close friend, he felt obligated to help in any way he could.

Mabel could hear the voice of her dads screaming at Thompson through the cell phone.

"Mr. Pines, I'm just telling you what she told me…she said it was Grenda…I…I don't know where she is, Mr. Pines I'm just trying to stay with your daughter."

The Stan mobile was at the hospital before even the ambulance.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!" Stan bellowed at the paramedics, but they ignored him. They weren't strangers to parents who criticized every delay or thing they did in times of distress. It was a very natural parental instinct, that no one could ever contain. But right now, they had a job to do. Right now, they had to focus on the child.

"I count seven on my side," one medic said.

"I count nine on mine," the other said.

"That's sixteen in total!"

"SIXTEEN WHAT?" Stan, Ford, and Dipper all asked, shock in their tone.

"Stab wounds. We need to get her into surgery, stat…one of these stab wounds looks near the heart. We will probably need to crack her chest."

Ford held Stan back as he tried rushing at the paramedics.

"Please…may we just see her for a moment? Just before she goes in?" Ford asked as he continued holding his brother back as tears built in his eyes.

The paramedics looked at each other and at the child. They knew they had to allow it. The reality was, though they were cautious not to say it to them until they themselves knew for certain, was that depending on how close the stab wound was to her chest, Mabel had the potential to not survive.

"Be quick," they said as they stepped off to the side.

The three men rushed to her.

"Pumpkin…oh pumpkin, what happened?" Stan's shaking voice asked. He had so many questions, but he knew he couldn't frighten her.

Mabel looked like she wanted and needed to speak and explain more than anything, but she was so weak.

"It's gonna be okay baby girl," Stan soothed, "It's gonna be okay."

"We're going to be right here as soon as you come out," Ford added.

"I love you so much Mabel," Dipper said. He clutched his beloved sister's sheets.

"We all love you very very much Mabel, just be strong in there for us okay pumpkin?" Ford said as Stan kissed her forehead.

The medics started wheeling her away when Mabel let out a moan and pointed to some paper. She couldn't speak, but before she went in her family needed to know what was going on…in case she didn't make it out of the surgery alive.

The paper only had one word on it.

Bill.''


	7. Chapter 7

The Pines men sat in the waiting room in stunned silence for a moment before Stan finally spoke up.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THAT NO-GOOD TRIANGLE, I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL- "

"Slow down, Stanley. We've got to be smart about this. I won't let Bill hurt you again," Ford said with a quiet shame.

"HE HURT OUR DAUGHTER! HE'S GOT IT COMING!"

"I agree Stanley, but we can't just go rushing at him. Remember, according to what Mabel said, he's using Grenda as leverage, and she's just a child."

Stan put his hand on his head, "Well…we've got to do SOMETHING! Didn't you see what he did to Mabel? She could _die_ in there, Stanford…DIE!"

"All the more reason to use logic. Mabel's been through enough trauma. She doesn't need anymore of it."

"But how do we stop him without hurting Grenda?" said Dipper, as his tiny voice finally broke through.

Stan and Ford's heads snapped in his direction. They could hear the fear and horror in his voice over what was going on. The poor child finally grounded both men. The reality was that Bill wasn't just back, he was back, and threatening the lives of not only them, but three young girls.

"We aren't solving anything sitting around on our butts," Stan said as he got up and started heading for the door when Ford pulled him back.

"Stanley…I need to go and find Candy and Grenda. I've had more experience dealing with Bill, and besides, it's my turn to take him on," Ford said with grim determination. Bill was _his_ fault, and it was high time that he took full responsibility for it.

"I can't let you go out there alone," protested Stan.

"Look…you and Dipper need to stay here. I don't know how long Mabel will be in surgery, but when she comes out, she'll need you and Dipper there with her."

"She'll need you too Ford, you know that,"

Ford sighed. He and Mabel had a complex past, and he felt horrible for abandoning her now, but he would come back to her, and he knew when he did that, she deserved to know that her beloved friends were safe.

"I'll be as quick as I can. Just please keep me updated, and _when_ she wakes up, let her know I'll be by her side soon."

Stan sighed deeply, he didn't want to agree to the plan, but he knew very well that Ford was their best bet at stopping Bill and helping the girls, so he slowly nodded.

Ford hugged both Dipper and Stan tight (just in case things with Bill got ugly), and with that, into the woods he ran.

"I…I can't believe that Mabel's dead. One of my best friends in the whole world…gone, and-and it is all our fault! We can never return to Gravity Falls; we'll never see our families or our friends or- "

Bill smacked Candy with one of Grenda's hands.

"Shut up glasses!" he demanded, "We gotta get the heck out of dodge until I can find a place to wash the blood off. Ohhh, I wonder if the Pines have found the body yet? I bet they're in the woods hollering out for her, looking desperately. I can almost hear their screams of pain when they find her a bloodied mess."

At that moment, Bill felt an unusual sensation in his stomach and threw up on the grounds of the woods.

"Oh god pink shirt! What was that? Feeling guilty are ya? Welp it's too little too late, your friend is dead and it's _all your fault…all cause you wanted to be popular._"

Grenda's body couldn't contain the sickness and shame at what she did within her any longer. She vomited yet again.

"Cut that out, girlie! It's gross! Ain't this what you wanted? Ending all the drama of shooting star? To finally get your moment in the sun? To finally have the attention on you?"

Now that the deed was done Bill's possession over Grenda had softened. He figured it would be crueler to allow her to be self-aware of what she had done…what she had allowed to happen, than to be a prisoner in her own body.

"I never wanted my moment to come at the cost of Mabel's life!" whispered Grenda in one of the quietest voices she had ever mustered, "Nothing's worth that!"

"Welp too little too late to do anything about it now,"

Grenda sighed deeply, it was too late, and she had done almost nothing to protect the friend that in all reality had done nothing to her. She hoped that wherever Mabel was now, she knew how sorry she was.

"Candy?! Grenda?! Where are you!?" a distant voice in the woods called out. It was impossible to discern who the voice was, but hearing someone calling out caused Bill to slightly panic. If he got caught before he could soak up Stan and Ford's misery than his plan was for nothing.

"Shit! We're gonna get caught!' Bill shouted.

"We _deserve _to get caught! We're criminals!" Candy cried out.

"I don't want to get caught unless it's Stanford Pines offering to let me into his brilliant mind!" yelled Bill!

"Funny you should say that," said the six-fingered scientist as he immerged from behind a large tree.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well, well, well! If it ain't my old buddy sixer. So, ya find your… "pretty little daughter," yet?"

"Grenda, don't be afraid. I'm just here to help you," Ford said in the calmest voice he could manage. He had decided his best bet would be to ignore Bill entirely and just focus on helping the young girls he was harming. It would also be wise to not let him know that Mabel was alive, as it may put them all in danger. Besides, the reality was that he didn't know how this nightmare would end so he figured the best thing to do would be to keep it vague.

"You think she can hear you, sixer? You're wasting your breath! She's completely under my control now! I control everything she says and does now, how do you think shooting star got all those stab wounds? It's all thanks to my new host body."

"Grenda, please…you have to fight him! You can't let him continue to control you! I know that you are still in there, Grenda, you have to come out of his shadow!"

"Oh sweet, naïve, sixer…you don't even realize. She _wanted_ my help! She came out into the woods and shook my hand to try to prove herself. She knew that I had what she wanted, what shooting star wasn't giving her. I have power, and now she does too. She's finally got control of her own destiny; with my help she'll know power that only a few people have ever known…like yourself. I'm offering her the chance at greatness, the chance to be the agent of chaos, the chance to be remembered for something! This is what she wants! She wants it so badly that she was willing to hurt her best friend for it! And now that the she's out of the way and the one responsible…without me she'll be worse than nothing! Without me her life is over…over before it even began!"

"Grenda…listen to me…please hear me out, honey. You may think I don't understand…that I hate you, that without him you are nothing! But none of it is true, Grenda. No one hates you! Not me, Stan, Dipper, anyone! Not even Mabel!"

"How would shooting star know? She's dead!" Bill shouted.

Ford decided to continue ignoring Bill. The chaotic triangle didn't need to know that Mabel was still alive…knowing Bill he would want to change that the moment he found out. He continued speaking directly to Grenda, he knew that she was still in there, and that the only way to defeat Bill would be to bring her out of his mind-control.

"Grenda, please listen to me, I know better than anyone about making deals with Bill and all the things he promises. I know what it feels like to want to be in power, to want to be remembered for something great. I know it far too well. But I also know better than anyone on earth that Bill is nothing more than a manipulative monster…and that his promises are empty. He'll agree to anything just to win! I almost realized this too late! I almost lost everything because of it. But Grenda…it's never too late. It's never too late to do the right thing, to make the right choices, to be great for all the right reasons. Bill doesn't matter Grenda! There are plenty of people who do matter! Plenty of people who think you are great just the way you are!"

"H-how do you know?" the voice of a scared little girl called out as tears began running out of Bill's yellow eyes.

"AH! STOP THAT!" Bill shouted.

"I know because I've been in your shoes before! I know because I was made fun of for my difference too. I know because I found those who loved me for who I am! But most of all…I know because I'm the father of someone who thinks you hung the moon and stars! I know because of someone who thinks you are incredible, and brave, and strong, and smart, and beautiful! Someone who gives _her_ strength every day!"

"I-I give Mabel strength?"

"CUT THAT OUT PINK SHIRT!"

"You do! I can't tell you how many stories she's told me about her incredible friends! How many times she's said she feels like the luckiest girl in the world to have you as her best friend! How many times she's said you are one of the best people she's ever known. To her, it doesn't matter what others think…to her, you're the most famous and legendary person in the world, just the way you are."

"But-but I've betrayed her…I can't take back what I've done…even though I wish more than anything I could,"

"NO YOU DON'T! YOU DON'T WISH YOU COULD TAKE IT BACK! YOU WANTED TO DO IT!"

"NO I DIDN'T…I NEVER DID!"

Suddenly Grenda had a realization, she remembered Mabel once told her to beware of Bill and his deals.

"I never wanted to make a deal to use your power. I wanted to _use you_ to feel powerful, but now I don't! I don't want your power anymore Bill! Even if it means that I'm never popular, or never get as much attention as Mabel did! I DON'T NEED YOU BILL! I WILL NEVER NEED YOU OR YOUR POWERS EVER AGAIN!"

With that, Grenda's eyes went back to normal as she collapsed in shame. Ford ran over to and sat down by her side as the tears began to pour out.

"It's all right Grenda, he's gone now, everything's gonna be all right."

"M-Mabel, where is she?" Grenda sputtered

"She's at the hospital…still alive, she's in surgery right now, it's gonna be okay," Ford soothed, just as much for his sake as the young girls.

"If she survives, she'll never wanna see me again!" Grenda wailed.

"Of course she will, it might take some time but she will,"

"Can we go see her now?" Candy asked.

"She's in surgery and when she comes out she'll probably be very weak, and besides, you girls need some rest now. C'mon, I'll take you both home."

The three of them walked in silence for a while before Candy spoke up, "Dr. Pines, will she definitely make it?"

The question made Ford's heart sink because the horrifying reality was, he had no idea.


	9. Chapter 9

As soon as Ford dropped the girls off with their relieved parents, he rushed to the hospital to find Stan and Dipper in the waiting room pacing nervously.

"Grunkle Ford, you're safe!" Dipper said as he exhaled and rushed to give him a tight hug.

"How is she?" Ford asked Stan as he reciprocated the young boy's embrace.

"She's still in surgery…what the hell is taking so long!?" Stan asked, fear being disguised as anger.

"Stanley, it's alright. These things just take time you know,"

"IT'S NOT ALRIGHT FORD! YOU SAW HER! YOU SAW WHAT THEY DID TO HER!" Stan screamed, clearly still in shock and fury at a situation he hardly understood.

"Stanley, you have to understand that it wasn't the girls' fault. It was Bill's…"

"Why would they even mess with that damn statue in the first place?! Don't they remember how much pain he put us through? How much pain he put her through?! Don't they remember any of that?!"

"They were just being kids, Stanley. You know how kids are," Ford said with a playful smirk at his brother.

"I don't know how you're staying so calm! Don't you even care that our daughter could…" Stan got too choked up to finish his thought, but he didn't need to given Ford already knew.

"Of course, I care!" Ford said, clearly hurt that Stan would even have to ask, "I just…I just know that our daughter is a fighter, and that she'll overcome this."

Stan was still clearly on edge, but also trying to allow Ford's assurance to sink in and soothe him.

"Even if she survives this, do you think she'll be okay mentally? Bill or not, she had to catch and feel her best friend literally stab her in the back," Dipper piped up.

Ford gave the boy's back and affectionate rub, "It'll be a lot to take in, but she'll have us there to help her through it."

"I'll just feel better when she gets out of surgery," Stan whispered.

"We all will," Ford said hugging both family members close.

The three of them continued watching the clock for what felt like an eternity, but only amounted to a few minutes.

Stan took a deep breath and decided to talk about something else to keep his mind off what his daughter was going through.

"So…did Bill give ya any trouble?"

"No, but if anything, I didn't stop Bill, Grenda did,"

"I still hate to think of that statue in the woods. As long as it's there, Bill will always be lingering over us."

"I have an idea for how to solve that problem, but we can deal with it later."

"I wonder what encouraged Grenda to mess with that statue in the first place? Surely she knew it was dangerous?" Dipper said, still deeply shocked that the person who his sister trusted so much could turn her back on her.

"Bill never hides how dangerous he is, but power is a unique pursuit…it'll cause even the best and brightest among us to abandon our vices. The important thing is that Grenda overcame hers before any more damage could be done."

"Yeah…tell that to Mabel," shot back Stan in an annoyed tone.

Ford sighed, he understood his brother's frustration. He knew Stan enough to know that he wouldn't be eased until news of his daughter's safety had reached him.

Finally, a surgeon entered the waiting room. His scrubs were covered in blood…_Mabel's blood_ her three family members thought instantly.

Stan wasted no time as he got up and bombarding the man "where's my daughter?" he demanded.

Ford and Dipper weren't far behind, waiting on bated breath for what the surgeon had to say on Mabel's condition.

"It was an extremely close call," he said in a very relieved tone, "she had one stab wound that was only the width of a human hair away from her heart. If the stab wound had penetrated the heart…she would have bled out."

Stan felt like he would faint hearing how close to death his sweet child had come.

"B-but she's okay, right?" Dipper asked, his voice trembling.

The surgeon nodded, "She's very very weak, but she's alright, we will need to keep her for several days to monitor her recovery, but she will be fine physically. As for emotionally, we will just have to wait and see,"

The three men felt like they could breathe again, that a huge weight had finally lifted off their shoulders. They were confident that with their love and support, they could get Mabel back to her sweet, care-free self.

"May we see her?" Ford asked. Even though he trusted the surgeon's analysis, he wouldn't be confident of her safety until he was by her side,

The surgeon nodded and lead them towards the ICU Recovery room. He explained they would keep her here the first 24 hours or so and then move her to a regular room.

Stan didn't care what kind of room she was in, all that mattered was that he got to be by his daughter's side again.

The three men crowded around the resting child as the surgeon left to give the family some privacy.

Ford went up to her first and gave her cheek a gentle kiss.

Feeling his loving touch, Mabel's eyes cracked open.


	10. Chapter 10

When Mabel's eyes fully opened, they had a heart wrenching look of fear in them. Her family tried to soothe her despite her horrifying ordeal.

"It's alright sweetie, it's over now. You're gonna be okay," Stan said as he soothed her.

"We're here for you sis, we aren't going anywhere," Dipper assured.

"That's right Mabel, we're right here," Ford reiterated.

Mabel looked like she desperately wanted to talk, but the only sounds to come out were gurgled moans.

This scared Stan, one tell-tell sign that Mabel was not doing well would be when she wouldn't speak. Mabel was a very talkative child, so when she was silent, Stan knew it was her way of saying that she was in a bad place.

Ford could tell that Stan was concerned and, truth be told, he was afraid too. He walked over and pressed the nurse call button. He tried to remain calm for her though, the last thing she needed was to see them freak out.

A nurse and doctor came quickly in. It broke her family's heart to know she was in the ICU, but it also reassured them to know that she was in a place where she was getting such prompt attention.

That didn't mean Stan wasn't going to be his high-strung self.

"WHY ISN'T SHE TALKING!? YOU SAID SHE WOULD BE OKAY!?"

The doctor took a deep breath, Stan Pines was definitely going to be a difficult character, but he tried to remind himself that he was just a concerned parent. It was a natural reaction to such a difficult situation.

"She's fine, sir. You have to remember, she's been through a traumatic experience…sometimes after deep trauma it takes a while to be able to speak again, especially in regards to the nature of this particular situation."

"Yeah, but this is Mabel! You don't know Mabel like I do! This is a girl whose been through more trauma than anyone on earth! She's always been able to talk!"

At that moment Mabel started groaning and attempting to reach for a notepad and pen on the nightstand.

"She can still communicate, but for a while we might have to do things her way," the kind nurse said as she gently handed the materials over to the girl.

She began scribbling something desperately before turning it over to show her family and the medical professionals. It was a simple message, but one with a difficult answer…_are Candy and Grenda safe?_

Ford knelt by her side and took her hand, "They're fine sweetie. They're back home with their families and Bill's gone. He won't ever hurt you again, I promise you that."

Mabel scribbled another question on her piece of paper, _when can I go home?_

It was Stan's turn to answer, "Soon baby, we'll all go home soon, and while you're here we aren't gonna leave your side."

"And we will be here to give you the best care possible while you are here," the doctor added.

Dipper knew she was weak, but his curiosity was absolutely killing him, "Mabel…what do you remember about what happened?"

Mabel's eyes filled with tears and she became visually upset. Dipper instantly felt guilty for bringing his sister into a traumatic place. He took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. He also knew something he could do to soothe her and cheer her up. He gave a small mischievous smile, one that only siblings like them could understand the context of, as he whispered in a sing-song voice, "_who wants a lamby lamby lamby? I do, I do, so go up and greet your mammy, mammy, mammy, hi there, hi there, so march, march around the daisies, don't you, don't you forget about the baby!"_

Mabel even managed to vocalize a small giggle, making Dipper give a relieved smile. He knew his sister would be alright, and he would be there every step of the way.

"Alright, Mabel needs her rest now," the doctor said as he administered some pain medicines to help soothe Mabel back to a peaceful slumber.

After they had left, Dipper very carefully crawled into bed beside his beloved sister, and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

What once was something he only ever did when they were younger, it had now become second nature to Dipper.

Stan and Ford wrapped a blanket around their sweet, sleeping children and became content to watch them rest throughout the night.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day Mabel was still weak, but a little stronger than before. She had smiled and spoken in small doses (though never about the incident). The doctors even allowed her to move out of the ICU a few hours early, and Ford decided to celebrate her progress (and just celebrate _her_) by taking her out into the hospital garden so she could get some fresh air and sunshine to continue lifting her spirits. Meanwhile Stan stayed inside and poured over the mounting hospital bill. Since adopting Dipper and Mabel he and Ford had to pay lots of extra bills. Neither of them regretted it for a single moment, and the blessings the decision had brought them outweighed any struggles a million to one, but there were still moments of stress. There had been windows of help along the way, the settlement they had received from the Edwards trial had helped, and their persnickety (but wealthy) Great-Aunt Janice had helped them financially as well, but regardless of the fact, Stan still liked the stubborn pride of being the one who could take care of his kids, even if his only source of true income came from his 30 year old tourist trap. They were his responsibility…they were his _everything_, and he felt like he should be the one responsible for their care.

It wasn't easy though.

He didn't have much time to think about it though as Ford, Dipper, and Mabel returned to the hospital room. Mabel didn't need the added stress of seeing him worry.

It wasn't easy to keep it from her though, even at her weakest Mabel could always read Stan like an open book.

"Grunkle Stan, are you alright?" she asked in a soft and slow tone, still showing clear signs of trauma.

Stan plastered his best showman smile at her, "of course, pumpkin! Everything's just fine! Just eager to get you back to the shack and all! You know I can't do business as well without my partner in crime!"

At that moment, almost as if they heard Stan mention crime, Blubs and Durland showed up in uniform in the hospital room.

"You guys have some of the crummiest, and cliché entrance timings, you know?" Stan said annoyed, but a little humored at how timely his mention of crime had been with their arrival.

"Sorry, Stan…hate barging in on y'all, but we got important police matters that need addressing," Durland said.

Mabel's eyes suddenly grew fearful at the sight of the two of them. She couldn't bare much more stress. Dipper knew this and started massaging his sister's hand.

"Can't it wait? She's been through enough for now…we all have," Ford said defectively.

"We'll try to be quick; we just have a few questions for Mabel," Blubs said sympathetically.

"She's not in a condition to answer them! She's a minor and doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to," Stan said stepping to both men, making them nervous.

"Stan, please, we have to do this. It's our job," Durland argued.

Stan was perfectly willing to continue fighting with them, until he felt Mabel's tiny hand grab onto his arm. He looked down to see her looking at him with large puppy-dog eyes. It didn't take him too long to put the pieces together…she wanted them to let her ask their questions. After all, it wasn't lost on her that Candy and Grenda were suffering too, and the sooner she could clear their names, the sooner they could all work on recovering together.

Stan sighed deeply and relented.

"Now, Mabel, can you tell us exactly what you remember?" Durland started in a soft voice.

Mabel tried to make words come, but they were getting stuck in her throat. It was still too painful for her tongue to twist and say, so she took a notepad and began doodling something. The two officers watched her intently.

When she finished, she turned over the paper to reveal doodles of her, Candy, and Grenda looking afraid, while a giant demonic triangle covered the sky and filled them with dread.

Blubs sighed, "So…Grenda didn't mean to do what she did? She had no control over the situation, correct?"

Mabel shook her head sadly as tears streamed down her face.

"You're sure, Mabel? You aren't just covering for her because you're afraid?" Durland added.

Mabel shook her head adamantly, she was still very much afraid, but not of Grenda…never of Grenda.

Durland turned and looked at Stan and Ford, "So, you both are comfortable with dropping all charges?"

The two men looked at each other.

"Because you do have enough reason and proof to ask for charges, given what you've been put through by the actions those two girls did," added Blubs.

Part of Stan wanted to press charges if only because it could help with medical expenses. He knew far too well that financially, it was the right move to make. But he didn't want to put Mabel or her friends through that. They all had been through so much already, and to do that now would be too much for them to bare. Given that, he and Ford shook their heads no.

Blubs sighed, "Well, those girls got off very lucky. They were facing some big-time trouble. They owe you and your courage a great dept."

Blubs and Durland tipped their hats and left the family.

That wasn't how Mabel saw it. There was nothing lucky about what any of them went through…she just hoped they could face their trauma together, and eventually move on from this event.


	12. Chapter 12

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU AND CANDY COULD BE IN!?" Grenda's father bellowed. His relief from the previous night had eroded into fear again as he realized that his daughter could end up locked away for a good portion of the rest of her life.

Grenda was cowering, too choked up to speak words. She may have gotten her booming voice from her father, but no one could make her regress back to a scared little girl like hearing her dad yelling at her.

"It was not Grenda's fault," Candy managed to whimper, "she had no control-"

"MABEL'S FAMILY AIN'T GONNA CARE ABOUT THAT!"

When he saw tears dripping out of his daughter's eyes, he forced himself to take some deep breaths and soften.

"If you really feel like you had no control, we've gotta start planning how we are going to prove it in court."

His train of thought was derailed by a knock at the door. He jumped slightly, terrified that it was someone coming to take his daughter from him.

"Girls, go hide, _NOW_," he ordered. Candy and Grenda crouched behind the couch as he went to answer the door.

Just as he suspected, it was Blubs and Durland in uniform.

"Oh! Good afternoon gentlemen! Umm…how can I help you today?"

"We just came from the hospital, visiting the Pines family," Blubs started.

The father's eyes widened in panic, "Okay, look, I know this all is bad. I can't begin to imagine what they've been through, but Grenda is just a child. She's my responsibility, so please, whatever charges they are planning to press I am prepared to take full responsibility, just don't-"

"They aren't pressing charges, sir," Durland finished.

"Wait, what?" the father asked dumbfounded.

"They aren't pressing charges," Blubs repeated.

"REALLY?" Candy and Grenda said as they immerged from behind the couch.

"Really. They all said that it wasn't your fault, and all agreed you weren't in control of what happened. Therefore, you can't be held responsible," Durland explained.

"You all got off very lucky," said Blubs in a stern voice, "There could have been very serious consequences for what happened to Mabel. And things may have ended differently had events not transpired the way they did."

Grenda's father pulled both girls into his arms and hugged them tightly, "Oh thank merciful heavens! Please tell them thank you so much!"

"You oughta thank them yourself, they're gonna be in the hospital a few more days," Blubs said.

"That bill is gonna be pretty steep, especially without pressing charges," Durland muttered under his breath.

Blubs whacked Durland playfully with his nightstick as the two of them walked off back to their car.

"Woah…what a relief! I still can't believe that just happened. I'm sure you girls miss your friend! We should go visit her; we should go thank her! We should-"

"I don't wanna-" Grenda cut in.

"What? Why not?" her father inquired.

"She won't ever want to see me again, not after what happened…" Grenda said sadly.

"But Grenda, she forgave you! She isn't pressing charges…and I mean, she had the all the reason to do so too. That means she forgives you!" Candy tried to explain.

"Mabel may forgive me, but I'll _never_ forgive myself!" Grenda said defectively.

"Well you can't ignore her forever! We're best friends!"

"I'm not going to just show up to the hospital with just nothing!" Grenda declared.

Her father sat thinking for a minute, before he was hit with a realization.

"You won't have to," he said.


	13. Chapter 13

Mabel was taking an afternoon nap and Dipper was reading a book in the hospital room, keeping her company, so Stan and Ford had stolen away for a moment to think about the mounting medical bills and how they might go about paying them. None of the options on the table though looked good.

"We can dip into the kids' college fund," Ford suggested, "I mean, I can teach them everything they'd ever need to know free of charge."

"No, that money belongs to the kids and we will need every cent of that when it comes time to send them to school, especially because _someone_ wants to follow in his brilliant uncle's footsteps!"

Ford blushed, both touched by Dipper's adoration for him and embarrassed for Stan to be bringing up his superior smarts.

"And besides, I think the kids would fair better having the experience of going to college."

"Yeah, true," remarked Ford, "Well, I know it's not ideal, but we could always ask Janice for financial help-"

"NO! I don't need that woman dangling any more money over my head!" Stan shuddered to think of the twin's persnickety (but wealthy) great-aunt helping with finances once again.

"Stanley…she's family too, and she did say she wanted to do whatever she could to assist us in raising them…no matter the cost!"

"I know that…I just don't want her to think that…that I can't be responsible for them-"

"Stanley, they aren't gerbils, they're children. Things happen…this wasn't anyone's fault. Just an accident,"

"Well it still needs to be an accident that I can take care of, I'm her father after all!"

Ford patted his brother's hand, "as am I, but Stanley…these bills…we can't do it alone,"

"You don't have to man," Wendy's voice came from behind, causing both men's heads to snap in her direction.

They saw Wendy carrying a vase of yellow roses and a card.

"You guys can open that if you want," the teen said slyly.

They did and were shocked to see fifty dollars fall out.

"It ain't much, but it was all the money from my savings."

"Wendy…you didn't have to-" Stan started.

"She didn't have to! She wanted to!" Manly Dan said proudly as he himself handed over a check for 500 dollars, a small fortune for the simple lumberjack.

At that moment the Northwest family, the Gleeful's. McGuket and his son, Soos and his abuelita, Blubs and Durland, and pretty much everyone else in town came in. Each with checks of various sizes, Ford was adding together like a madman and it became clear that it was more than enough money to pay off the hospital bills.

The commotion was enough to wake Mabel as she and Dipper immerged from the hospital room to see what was up.

"What…what's all this?" she managed to ask.

"A celebration of you and your family hambone!" Soos answered as he gave her a gentle hug.

"Celebration?" Mabel asked, confused as to how there was anything worth celebrating in this horrible situation.

"Celebrating your bravery and courage!" Durland explained further.

"You've got one merciful daughter," Blubs told Stan and Ford.

"That's our girl," Ford said proudly.

"We ain't a charity, you know?" Stan said pessimistically. He was more grateful than he could ever express, but the prideful side of him still didn't like the idea of needing help raising his kids.

Abeulita seemed to be reading his mind and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "we know you aren't, but it takes a village to raise children, and we are your village. You would do the same for any of us if we were in your shoes!"

Stan wasn't sure about that, but the kind woman's explanation did help ease his mind.

"There's still something I don't get," Dipper interjected. "Whose idea was all this?"

The town smiled and parted ways to reveal Candy and Grenda with stuff animals, candy, and flowers. They walked foreword towards the twins.

"Mabel…I'm so-" Grenda started, but she didn't even get to finish before Mabel ran into her arms and hugged her and Candy as tight as she could.

"I'm so happy to see you both! You're my best friends in the world, and I was so worried about you!"

Grenda started crying uncontrollably. To think that she had been so angry and envious at her sweet friend who only and always wanted what was best for her was more than her heart could bear.

"I'm just glad we are all friends again," Candy said relieved.

"We never weren't friends! I knew you guys would never hurt me, and I would never hurt you…I'm sorry I didn't tell you both how much I appreciate you both earlier."

Grenda wiped away her tears, "You really are the best person I know," she said.

"HEY!" Candy playfully interjected.

"I'm only that way because I have the best friends in the world! I promise to never take that for granted ever again!"

After lots of grateful hugs and get well soons, everyone besides Candy and Grenda had left. The sun had begun to set. A day that began with worry and uncertainty of the future had ended in an almost fairytale like way. But they all knew, Mabel especially, that it was all real.

Being with her friends again was just the ticket to bringing her mental wellness back to the same miraculous recovery as her physical wellness had been.

"I just have one more question…how will we make sure that Bill never hurts anyone ever again?" Candy asked.

Mabel and Ford shared a knowing smile with each other.

"We did have one idea, but we need the strongest girl in Gravity Falls to help us,"

"You mean Mabel?" Grenda asked.

"I am pretty strong," Mabel teased as she flexed her tiny muscles playfully, "but I know someone even stronger,"

A few days later, after Mabel was finally released from the hospital, she went with Stan, Ford, and Dipper and Candy and Grenda to the very edge of the woods.

Candy shuddered being back in the woods again, but Dipper protectively put his arm around her, making her blush and forget her fears temporarily.

"Alright Grenda, ready?" Ford asked as he handed over a large mallet, one that he struggled to lift while Grenda could carry it with ease.

Grenda stepped towards the statue that had caused her and everyone in town so much grief, and finally made her mark as a legendary member of the town of Gravity Falls.


End file.
